A capsule look at each team in the Western Conference

SportsOct 11, 2017

From Paul George and Carmelo Anthony moving to Oklahoma City, Chris Paul's arrival in Houston, to the world champion Warriors, a team-by-team look at the Western Conference by division ahead of the season tipping off on Tuesday:

PLAYER TO WATCH: Milsap. The All-Star signed a three-year deal worth about $90 million. He should fit in seamlessly with fellow big man Jokic.

OUTLOOK: The Nuggets improved by seven games in 2016-17, but still missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season. Murray, Jameer Nelson and Emmanuel Mudiay are competing for minutes at point guard. If one of the trio can take command at the point and the Nuggets can improve on the defensive end, Denver could make the leap to a playoff-calibre squad. As Jokic says, the Nuggets have a lot of good pieces; they just need to learn to play together.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Butler was brought in from the Bulls via trade to speed up to the team's development. He is the prototype for a Thibodeau player — intense, demanding and defensive-minded. His ability to make shots late in games should also help a team that struggled mightily to close out opponents last season, and his familiarity with Thibodeau should help the younger players on the team absorb more of the coach's teachings.

OUTLOOK: Playoffs or bust, which sounds crazy for a team that has not made the post-season since 2004. The West is stacked, but Thibodeau made the moves he did with the express purpose of ending the longest active playoff drought in the league. If the second unit can prevent huge drop-offs from what is expected to be a formidable starting five, the Wolves should finally be able to remind their long-suffering fans that the season does not end in mid-April.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Anthony. He has been the focal point of the offence throughout his career, and even at 33 years old, he still is an elite scorer. He plans to bring that scorer's mentality, and Westbrook and George say the team needs it. There will be days that Anthony doesn't get the touches he's used to. How he handles that will be largely determine whether Oklahoma City is able to find a rhythm.

OUTLOOK: George and Anthony will provide the scoring help Westbrook so desperately needed last season. George and Roberson are elite perimeter stoppers, and Westbrook and Adams are capable defenders. Adams is an emerging force in the paint, and Felton and Patterson are critical additions to the bench. The Thunder are poised to challenge Golden State for Western Conference supremacy.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Nurkic. The 7-footer known as the Bosnian Beast dropped lost about 35 pounds over the off-season in an effort to become quicker and more agile. A fan favourite, Nurkic suggested going into this season that the Blazers should become the NBA's Bad Boys, drawing inspiration from the Detroit Pistons of the 1980's and early '90s. A key for Nurkic — and the Blazers — is whether he can stay healthy.

OUTLOOK: The Blazers made few changes in the off-season, sticking with a nucleus of backcourt duo Lillard and McCollum, along with Nurkic, who joined the team via trade last season and helped fuel a push to the playoffs. The questions for the Blazers is who will start with that trio at the beginning of the season. Rookie Caleb Swanigan has been turning heads while Noah Vonleh recovers from a shoulder injury.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Hood enters his fourth season on a contract year with much more responsibility on his shoulders. When Hayward and Hill left they took a combined 38.8 points per game with them and the Jazz didn't sign any true scoring threats. Hood, a slick-shooting lefty, has his sights on the most improved player award.

OUTLOOK: The Jazz will be challenged to secure a second consecutive playoff berth, which would mean back-to-back post-season appearances for the first time this decade. While the West got deeper, the Jazz lost their lone All-Star and top two scorers. Utah will remain one of the best defensive teams in the league with Gobert as the anchor, but scoring will be difficult.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Young is still getting up to speed but his teammates have been urging him to shoot when he has a chance.

OUTLOOK: With so many returners and great depth, the Warriors should dominate again — if they can keep their edge. Kerr is challenging them to do many things better than they did during last season's run to a second title in three years. Durant has a year in the system and is coming off his NBA Finals MVP honours, he seems poised to take his game up another notch — with probably slightly less scrutiny than he faced a year ago after leaving Oklahoma City. Durant and the Warriors look like to the team to beat once again.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Jackson. He was the fourth overall pick in the draft out of Kansas and has made an immediate impression with his scoring, defence and rebounding in the preseason. His tough persona fills a Suns need, too. Just 20 years old, he fits right in with the Suns long-term plans build from within and eventually climb back into contention.

OUTLOOK: The Suns are resisting any urge to add high-salary veterans, if they could, for a quick fix to maybe contend for the last one or two playoff spots in the tough Western Conference. Instead, they are sticking with the young core that they hope will develop into a contender, although it may take a few years. Booker, already a prolific scorer, will look to expand his game and continue his development as one of the NBA's top players. But wins could be few and far between in this, the franchise's 50th year.

PLAYER TO WATCH: The Kings got the point guard they wanted in the draft when Fox was there at No. 5 after a stellar freshman season at Kentucky. He is a skilled ball handler with the ability to get to the basket and Sacramento hopes he will improve his outside shot now that he's in the NBA.

OUTLOOK: More than half the projected opening roster will consist of players on their rookie deals making this another rebuild year in Sacramento. The Kings haven't made the playoffs since 2006 but hope they finally have some foundation pieces to build around with Fox, Bogdanovic, Skal Labissiere and Hield.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Teodosic. He may be one of the most intriguing new players in the league. The 30-year-old rookie and six-time all-Euro-League point guard finally makes his NBA debut on a team that lost one of the league's best point guards in Paul. Teodosic is a wizard passing the ball, but the Serbian shot only 44.0 per cent in Europe and is hardly known for his defence.

OUTLOOK: The Clippers may get off to slow start. They are one of league's great mystery teams. The Clippers are expected to start the season with nine new players. They lost their starting backcourt (Paul, Redick) and small forward (Mbah a Moute). The turnover should offer plenty of intrigue in a division where every team seems to play for second behind the defending champion Warriors.

PLAYER TO WATCH: All eyes are on Ball, the heralded playmaker with the attention-grabbing father. The Southern California native starred at UCLA for one season before becoming the second overall pick and the centerpiece of Magic Johnson's vision for an up-tempo, high-scoring Showtime offence.

OUTLOOK: The Lakers appear to be improved after the worst four-year stretch in franchise history, but only a stunning rookie season from Ball is likely to get them anywhere near playoff contention this year. Magic hopes the Lakers will show enough promise this year to entice big-name free agents to Hollywood in the summer.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Smith was taken ninth overall, highest draft position for Mavericks since getting Nowitzki in 1998. Already touted by Carlisle as point guard with skills Mavericks have never had at that position, Smith will have to assimilate to NBA game quickly for team to be competitive. Turns 20 in November.

OUTLOOK: Mavericks will have to overachieve to avoid missing playoffs in second straight season for first time since abysmal decade of 1990s was wrapping up. They need big contribution from centre Nerlens Noel. He will come off bench because of way roster is constructed, has plenty to prove after failing to get long-term deal and settling for $4.1 million qualifying offer as restricted free agent. Barnes' continuing development as go-to scorer can help make things more enjoyable for Nowitzki, who joins Kobe Bryant as the only players with 20 seasons for one franchise.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Paul. It will be interesting to see how D'Antoni's offence runs with both Paul and Harden in it. Paul gets a fresh start in Houston after being dogged by criticism in recent years for failing to get the Clippers out of the second round of the playoffs. The Rockets expect him to be the piece that gets them into the conference finals after coming up just short of them last year.

OUTLOOK: After being eliminated by the Spurs in the conference semifinals the Rockets made a bold move by trading for Paul to give Houston another All-Star to play with Harden and try to narrow the gap in the Western Conference. The defence should be better after not only adding Paul, but also Tucker to a unit that lost defensive specialist Beverley in the trade with the Clippers.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Parsons. He signed a four-year, $94 million deal a year as the player the Grizzlies hoped finally would be the outside shooting threat they've so wanted for years. But Parsons wound up playing only 34 games shooting just 26.9 per cent from 3-point range before being sidelined in March by yet another knee surgery, this on his left knee. His pay, combined with the big deals given to Conley and Gasol, limited how much Memphis could spend this off-season.

OUTLOOK: The Grizzlies' streak of seven straight playoff appearances could come to an end. The Western Conference is more competitive and Memphis needs Parsons to be healthy and shooting at his best to complement Conley and Gasol. Fizdale needs several young Grizzlies to quickly develop to keep opponents from smothering Conley and Gasol.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Davis is the key to everything for New Orleans because of his dynamism, which allows him to score from inside and out, run the floor and defend the perimeter as well as block shots in the lane. He might not score as much this season while sharing the ball with DeMarcus Cousins, but he hopes to be more efficient.

OUTLOOK: If Davis and Cousins mesh well, if Holiday improves as a scorer, and most importantly, if New Orleans doesn't have much more bad luck with injuries, the Pelicans could contend for a Western Conference playoff spot. After two sub-.500 seasons, there will be urgency to do so. Otherwise, the regime of general manager Dell Demps and coach Alvin Gentry could end and Cousins could walk in free agency.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Leonard. The Spurs will need another year of growth from their quiet MVP candidate after he set career highs in scoring and assists while earning All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team honours. The Spurs had a rather quiet off-season after numerous Western Conference teams upgraded through trades and the draft. Leonard's growth could come from his ability to distribute the ball more, especially with veteran point guard Tony Parker expected to miss the first month and a half while recovering from surgery on a ruptured left quadriceps tendon.

OUTLOOK: The Spurs are essentially the same team that won the Southwest Division last season and led Golden State by 21 points in Game 1 of the West finals before Leonard was lost for the post-season to an ankle injury. A 21st straight post-season appearance is almost a given and it is hard not seeing them contend for a sixth NBA championship even with the West getting stronger.

___

More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

By The Associated Press

A capsule look at each team in the Western Conference

SportsOct 11, 2017

From Paul George and Carmelo Anthony moving to Oklahoma City, Chris Paul's arrival in Houston, to the world champion Warriors, a team-by-team look at the Western Conference by division ahead of the season tipping off on Tuesday:

PLAYER TO WATCH: Milsap. The All-Star signed a three-year deal worth about $90 million. He should fit in seamlessly with fellow big man Jokic.

OUTLOOK: The Nuggets improved by seven games in 2016-17, but still missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season. Murray, Jameer Nelson and Emmanuel Mudiay are competing for minutes at point guard. If one of the trio can take command at the point and the Nuggets can improve on the defensive end, Denver could make the leap to a playoff-calibre squad. As Jokic says, the Nuggets have a lot of good pieces; they just need to learn to play together.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Butler was brought in from the Bulls via trade to speed up to the team's development. He is the prototype for a Thibodeau player — intense, demanding and defensive-minded. His ability to make shots late in games should also help a team that struggled mightily to close out opponents last season, and his familiarity with Thibodeau should help the younger players on the team absorb more of the coach's teachings.

OUTLOOK: Playoffs or bust, which sounds crazy for a team that has not made the post-season since 2004. The West is stacked, but Thibodeau made the moves he did with the express purpose of ending the longest active playoff drought in the league. If the second unit can prevent huge drop-offs from what is expected to be a formidable starting five, the Wolves should finally be able to remind their long-suffering fans that the season does not end in mid-April.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Anthony. He has been the focal point of the offence throughout his career, and even at 33 years old, he still is an elite scorer. He plans to bring that scorer's mentality, and Westbrook and George say the team needs it. There will be days that Anthony doesn't get the touches he's used to. How he handles that will be largely determine whether Oklahoma City is able to find a rhythm.

OUTLOOK: George and Anthony will provide the scoring help Westbrook so desperately needed last season. George and Roberson are elite perimeter stoppers, and Westbrook and Adams are capable defenders. Adams is an emerging force in the paint, and Felton and Patterson are critical additions to the bench. The Thunder are poised to challenge Golden State for Western Conference supremacy.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Nurkic. The 7-footer known as the Bosnian Beast dropped lost about 35 pounds over the off-season in an effort to become quicker and more agile. A fan favourite, Nurkic suggested going into this season that the Blazers should become the NBA's Bad Boys, drawing inspiration from the Detroit Pistons of the 1980's and early '90s. A key for Nurkic — and the Blazers — is whether he can stay healthy.

OUTLOOK: The Blazers made few changes in the off-season, sticking with a nucleus of backcourt duo Lillard and McCollum, along with Nurkic, who joined the team via trade last season and helped fuel a push to the playoffs. The questions for the Blazers is who will start with that trio at the beginning of the season. Rookie Caleb Swanigan has been turning heads while Noah Vonleh recovers from a shoulder injury.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Hood enters his fourth season on a contract year with much more responsibility on his shoulders. When Hayward and Hill left they took a combined 38.8 points per game with them and the Jazz didn't sign any true scoring threats. Hood, a slick-shooting lefty, has his sights on the most improved player award.

OUTLOOK: The Jazz will be challenged to secure a second consecutive playoff berth, which would mean back-to-back post-season appearances for the first time this decade. While the West got deeper, the Jazz lost their lone All-Star and top two scorers. Utah will remain one of the best defensive teams in the league with Gobert as the anchor, but scoring will be difficult.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Young is still getting up to speed but his teammates have been urging him to shoot when he has a chance.

OUTLOOK: With so many returners and great depth, the Warriors should dominate again — if they can keep their edge. Kerr is challenging them to do many things better than they did during last season's run to a second title in three years. Durant has a year in the system and is coming off his NBA Finals MVP honours, he seems poised to take his game up another notch — with probably slightly less scrutiny than he faced a year ago after leaving Oklahoma City. Durant and the Warriors look like to the team to beat once again.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Jackson. He was the fourth overall pick in the draft out of Kansas and has made an immediate impression with his scoring, defence and rebounding in the preseason. His tough persona fills a Suns need, too. Just 20 years old, he fits right in with the Suns long-term plans build from within and eventually climb back into contention.

OUTLOOK: The Suns are resisting any urge to add high-salary veterans, if they could, for a quick fix to maybe contend for the last one or two playoff spots in the tough Western Conference. Instead, they are sticking with the young core that they hope will develop into a contender, although it may take a few years. Booker, already a prolific scorer, will look to expand his game and continue his development as one of the NBA's top players. But wins could be few and far between in this, the franchise's 50th year.

PLAYER TO WATCH: The Kings got the point guard they wanted in the draft when Fox was there at No. 5 after a stellar freshman season at Kentucky. He is a skilled ball handler with the ability to get to the basket and Sacramento hopes he will improve his outside shot now that he's in the NBA.

OUTLOOK: More than half the projected opening roster will consist of players on their rookie deals making this another rebuild year in Sacramento. The Kings haven't made the playoffs since 2006 but hope they finally have some foundation pieces to build around with Fox, Bogdanovic, Skal Labissiere and Hield.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Teodosic. He may be one of the most intriguing new players in the league. The 30-year-old rookie and six-time all-Euro-League point guard finally makes his NBA debut on a team that lost one of the league's best point guards in Paul. Teodosic is a wizard passing the ball, but the Serbian shot only 44.0 per cent in Europe and is hardly known for his defence.

OUTLOOK: The Clippers may get off to slow start. They are one of league's great mystery teams. The Clippers are expected to start the season with nine new players. They lost their starting backcourt (Paul, Redick) and small forward (Mbah a Moute). The turnover should offer plenty of intrigue in a division where every team seems to play for second behind the defending champion Warriors.

PLAYER TO WATCH: All eyes are on Ball, the heralded playmaker with the attention-grabbing father. The Southern California native starred at UCLA for one season before becoming the second overall pick and the centerpiece of Magic Johnson's vision for an up-tempo, high-scoring Showtime offence.

OUTLOOK: The Lakers appear to be improved after the worst four-year stretch in franchise history, but only a stunning rookie season from Ball is likely to get them anywhere near playoff contention this year. Magic hopes the Lakers will show enough promise this year to entice big-name free agents to Hollywood in the summer.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Smith was taken ninth overall, highest draft position for Mavericks since getting Nowitzki in 1998. Already touted by Carlisle as point guard with skills Mavericks have never had at that position, Smith will have to assimilate to NBA game quickly for team to be competitive. Turns 20 in November.

OUTLOOK: Mavericks will have to overachieve to avoid missing playoffs in second straight season for first time since abysmal decade of 1990s was wrapping up. They need big contribution from centre Nerlens Noel. He will come off bench because of way roster is constructed, has plenty to prove after failing to get long-term deal and settling for $4.1 million qualifying offer as restricted free agent. Barnes' continuing development as go-to scorer can help make things more enjoyable for Nowitzki, who joins Kobe Bryant as the only players with 20 seasons for one franchise.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Paul. It will be interesting to see how D'Antoni's offence runs with both Paul and Harden in it. Paul gets a fresh start in Houston after being dogged by criticism in recent years for failing to get the Clippers out of the second round of the playoffs. The Rockets expect him to be the piece that gets them into the conference finals after coming up just short of them last year.

OUTLOOK: After being eliminated by the Spurs in the conference semifinals the Rockets made a bold move by trading for Paul to give Houston another All-Star to play with Harden and try to narrow the gap in the Western Conference. The defence should be better after not only adding Paul, but also Tucker to a unit that lost defensive specialist Beverley in the trade with the Clippers.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Parsons. He signed a four-year, $94 million deal a year as the player the Grizzlies hoped finally would be the outside shooting threat they've so wanted for years. But Parsons wound up playing only 34 games shooting just 26.9 per cent from 3-point range before being sidelined in March by yet another knee surgery, this on his left knee. His pay, combined with the big deals given to Conley and Gasol, limited how much Memphis could spend this off-season.

OUTLOOK: The Grizzlies' streak of seven straight playoff appearances could come to an end. The Western Conference is more competitive and Memphis needs Parsons to be healthy and shooting at his best to complement Conley and Gasol. Fizdale needs several young Grizzlies to quickly develop to keep opponents from smothering Conley and Gasol.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Davis is the key to everything for New Orleans because of his dynamism, which allows him to score from inside and out, run the floor and defend the perimeter as well as block shots in the lane. He might not score as much this season while sharing the ball with DeMarcus Cousins, but he hopes to be more efficient.

OUTLOOK: If Davis and Cousins mesh well, if Holiday improves as a scorer, and most importantly, if New Orleans doesn't have much more bad luck with injuries, the Pelicans could contend for a Western Conference playoff spot. After two sub-.500 seasons, there will be urgency to do so. Otherwise, the regime of general manager Dell Demps and coach Alvin Gentry could end and Cousins could walk in free agency.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Leonard. The Spurs will need another year of growth from their quiet MVP candidate after he set career highs in scoring and assists while earning All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team honours. The Spurs had a rather quiet off-season after numerous Western Conference teams upgraded through trades and the draft. Leonard's growth could come from his ability to distribute the ball more, especially with veteran point guard Tony Parker expected to miss the first month and a half while recovering from surgery on a ruptured left quadriceps tendon.

OUTLOOK: The Spurs are essentially the same team that won the Southwest Division last season and led Golden State by 21 points in Game 1 of the West finals before Leonard was lost for the post-season to an ankle injury. A 21st straight post-season appearance is almost a given and it is hard not seeing them contend for a sixth NBA championship even with the West getting stronger.

___

More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

By The Associated Press

Top Stories

A capsule look at each team in the Western Conference

SportsOct 11, 2017

From Paul George and Carmelo Anthony moving to Oklahoma City, Chris Paul's arrival in Houston, to the world champion Warriors, a team-by-team look at the Western Conference by division ahead of the season tipping off on Tuesday:

PLAYER TO WATCH: Milsap. The All-Star signed a three-year deal worth about $90 million. He should fit in seamlessly with fellow big man Jokic.

OUTLOOK: The Nuggets improved by seven games in 2016-17, but still missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season. Murray, Jameer Nelson and Emmanuel Mudiay are competing for minutes at point guard. If one of the trio can take command at the point and the Nuggets can improve on the defensive end, Denver could make the leap to a playoff-calibre squad. As Jokic says, the Nuggets have a lot of good pieces; they just need to learn to play together.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Butler was brought in from the Bulls via trade to speed up to the team's development. He is the prototype for a Thibodeau player — intense, demanding and defensive-minded. His ability to make shots late in games should also help a team that struggled mightily to close out opponents last season, and his familiarity with Thibodeau should help the younger players on the team absorb more of the coach's teachings.

OUTLOOK: Playoffs or bust, which sounds crazy for a team that has not made the post-season since 2004. The West is stacked, but Thibodeau made the moves he did with the express purpose of ending the longest active playoff drought in the league. If the second unit can prevent huge drop-offs from what is expected to be a formidable starting five, the Wolves should finally be able to remind their long-suffering fans that the season does not end in mid-April.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Anthony. He has been the focal point of the offence throughout his career, and even at 33 years old, he still is an elite scorer. He plans to bring that scorer's mentality, and Westbrook and George say the team needs it. There will be days that Anthony doesn't get the touches he's used to. How he handles that will be largely determine whether Oklahoma City is able to find a rhythm.

OUTLOOK: George and Anthony will provide the scoring help Westbrook so desperately needed last season. George and Roberson are elite perimeter stoppers, and Westbrook and Adams are capable defenders. Adams is an emerging force in the paint, and Felton and Patterson are critical additions to the bench. The Thunder are poised to challenge Golden State for Western Conference supremacy.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Nurkic. The 7-footer known as the Bosnian Beast dropped lost about 35 pounds over the off-season in an effort to become quicker and more agile. A fan favourite, Nurkic suggested going into this season that the Blazers should become the NBA's Bad Boys, drawing inspiration from the Detroit Pistons of the 1980's and early '90s. A key for Nurkic — and the Blazers — is whether he can stay healthy.

OUTLOOK: The Blazers made few changes in the off-season, sticking with a nucleus of backcourt duo Lillard and McCollum, along with Nurkic, who joined the team via trade last season and helped fuel a push to the playoffs. The questions for the Blazers is who will start with that trio at the beginning of the season. Rookie Caleb Swanigan has been turning heads while Noah Vonleh recovers from a shoulder injury.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Hood enters his fourth season on a contract year with much more responsibility on his shoulders. When Hayward and Hill left they took a combined 38.8 points per game with them and the Jazz didn't sign any true scoring threats. Hood, a slick-shooting lefty, has his sights on the most improved player award.

OUTLOOK: The Jazz will be challenged to secure a second consecutive playoff berth, which would mean back-to-back post-season appearances for the first time this decade. While the West got deeper, the Jazz lost their lone All-Star and top two scorers. Utah will remain one of the best defensive teams in the league with Gobert as the anchor, but scoring will be difficult.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Young is still getting up to speed but his teammates have been urging him to shoot when he has a chance.

OUTLOOK: With so many returners and great depth, the Warriors should dominate again — if they can keep their edge. Kerr is challenging them to do many things better than they did during last season's run to a second title in three years. Durant has a year in the system and is coming off his NBA Finals MVP honours, he seems poised to take his game up another notch — with probably slightly less scrutiny than he faced a year ago after leaving Oklahoma City. Durant and the Warriors look like to the team to beat once again.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Jackson. He was the fourth overall pick in the draft out of Kansas and has made an immediate impression with his scoring, defence and rebounding in the preseason. His tough persona fills a Suns need, too. Just 20 years old, he fits right in with the Suns long-term plans build from within and eventually climb back into contention.

OUTLOOK: The Suns are resisting any urge to add high-salary veterans, if they could, for a quick fix to maybe contend for the last one or two playoff spots in the tough Western Conference. Instead, they are sticking with the young core that they hope will develop into a contender, although it may take a few years. Booker, already a prolific scorer, will look to expand his game and continue his development as one of the NBA's top players. But wins could be few and far between in this, the franchise's 50th year.

PLAYER TO WATCH: The Kings got the point guard they wanted in the draft when Fox was there at No. 5 after a stellar freshman season at Kentucky. He is a skilled ball handler with the ability to get to the basket and Sacramento hopes he will improve his outside shot now that he's in the NBA.

OUTLOOK: More than half the projected opening roster will consist of players on their rookie deals making this another rebuild year in Sacramento. The Kings haven't made the playoffs since 2006 but hope they finally have some foundation pieces to build around with Fox, Bogdanovic, Skal Labissiere and Hield.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Teodosic. He may be one of the most intriguing new players in the league. The 30-year-old rookie and six-time all-Euro-League point guard finally makes his NBA debut on a team that lost one of the league's best point guards in Paul. Teodosic is a wizard passing the ball, but the Serbian shot only 44.0 per cent in Europe and is hardly known for his defence.

OUTLOOK: The Clippers may get off to slow start. They are one of league's great mystery teams. The Clippers are expected to start the season with nine new players. They lost their starting backcourt (Paul, Redick) and small forward (Mbah a Moute). The turnover should offer plenty of intrigue in a division where every team seems to play for second behind the defending champion Warriors.

PLAYER TO WATCH: All eyes are on Ball, the heralded playmaker with the attention-grabbing father. The Southern California native starred at UCLA for one season before becoming the second overall pick and the centerpiece of Magic Johnson's vision for an up-tempo, high-scoring Showtime offence.

OUTLOOK: The Lakers appear to be improved after the worst four-year stretch in franchise history, but only a stunning rookie season from Ball is likely to get them anywhere near playoff contention this year. Magic hopes the Lakers will show enough promise this year to entice big-name free agents to Hollywood in the summer.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Smith was taken ninth overall, highest draft position for Mavericks since getting Nowitzki in 1998. Already touted by Carlisle as point guard with skills Mavericks have never had at that position, Smith will have to assimilate to NBA game quickly for team to be competitive. Turns 20 in November.

OUTLOOK: Mavericks will have to overachieve to avoid missing playoffs in second straight season for first time since abysmal decade of 1990s was wrapping up. They need big contribution from centre Nerlens Noel. He will come off bench because of way roster is constructed, has plenty to prove after failing to get long-term deal and settling for $4.1 million qualifying offer as restricted free agent. Barnes' continuing development as go-to scorer can help make things more enjoyable for Nowitzki, who joins Kobe Bryant as the only players with 20 seasons for one franchise.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Paul. It will be interesting to see how D'Antoni's offence runs with both Paul and Harden in it. Paul gets a fresh start in Houston after being dogged by criticism in recent years for failing to get the Clippers out of the second round of the playoffs. The Rockets expect him to be the piece that gets them into the conference finals after coming up just short of them last year.

OUTLOOK: After being eliminated by the Spurs in the conference semifinals the Rockets made a bold move by trading for Paul to give Houston another All-Star to play with Harden and try to narrow the gap in the Western Conference. The defence should be better after not only adding Paul, but also Tucker to a unit that lost defensive specialist Beverley in the trade with the Clippers.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Parsons. He signed a four-year, $94 million deal a year as the player the Grizzlies hoped finally would be the outside shooting threat they've so wanted for years. But Parsons wound up playing only 34 games shooting just 26.9 per cent from 3-point range before being sidelined in March by yet another knee surgery, this on his left knee. His pay, combined with the big deals given to Conley and Gasol, limited how much Memphis could spend this off-season.

OUTLOOK: The Grizzlies' streak of seven straight playoff appearances could come to an end. The Western Conference is more competitive and Memphis needs Parsons to be healthy and shooting at his best to complement Conley and Gasol. Fizdale needs several young Grizzlies to quickly develop to keep opponents from smothering Conley and Gasol.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Davis is the key to everything for New Orleans because of his dynamism, which allows him to score from inside and out, run the floor and defend the perimeter as well as block shots in the lane. He might not score as much this season while sharing the ball with DeMarcus Cousins, but he hopes to be more efficient.

OUTLOOK: If Davis and Cousins mesh well, if Holiday improves as a scorer, and most importantly, if New Orleans doesn't have much more bad luck with injuries, the Pelicans could contend for a Western Conference playoff spot. After two sub-.500 seasons, there will be urgency to do so. Otherwise, the regime of general manager Dell Demps and coach Alvin Gentry could end and Cousins could walk in free agency.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Leonard. The Spurs will need another year of growth from their quiet MVP candidate after he set career highs in scoring and assists while earning All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team honours. The Spurs had a rather quiet off-season after numerous Western Conference teams upgraded through trades and the draft. Leonard's growth could come from his ability to distribute the ball more, especially with veteran point guard Tony Parker expected to miss the first month and a half while recovering from surgery on a ruptured left quadriceps tendon.

OUTLOOK: The Spurs are essentially the same team that won the Southwest Division last season and led Golden State by 21 points in Game 1 of the West finals before Leonard was lost for the post-season to an ankle injury. A 21st straight post-season appearance is almost a given and it is hard not seeing them contend for a sixth NBA championship even with the West getting stronger.